


The Dog Days of Summer

by ObliqueOptimism



Series: Life in the City [4]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Not Beta Read, POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-04
Packaged: 2020-11-23 04:40:18
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20886263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ObliqueOptimism/pseuds/ObliqueOptimism
Summary: Luca Vitali couldn't believe Klaus showed up at his shop with apuppy he stole from the police.





	The Dog Days of Summer

**Author's Note:**

> i love mr vitali y'all. also if y'all have things you want to see in this 'verse let me know, i may try to write it!

It had been calm lately. Luca Vitali should have known that it wouldn’t last.

He hadn’t seen his boys in a few days, which wasn’t unusual. It was autumn and the weather had yet to turn bad. Once that happened, he’d be seeing them more, coming in from the cold. Since Ben arrived Luca didn’t have to remind Klaus as much that he was always welcome. If it was cold out, Ben always made sure Klaus made it somewhere safe. And on really cold nights, if Klaus wasn’t at the shop, he’d call Luca and let him know he was safe. Another thing Ben did for Luca.

More often than not, Luca thought Ben was real.

With the way he could talk Klaus out of bad situations and turn him towards safety. Not that he could always convince him, but since Klaus accepted that Ben wasn’t going to leave he’d made less stupid decisions. 

He did still make stupid deicsions though.

Like right now.

Luca looked up to see his boys enter his shop. Ben must have been there because Klaus’s head was turned to the side and he was saying, “No, this will work. Promise.”

What really caught Luca’s eye was that Klaus was wearing a tight shirt as usual, however; it was moving. It bulged out and kept wiggling around. Once in a while Klaus winced as it moved. And if Luca was right, he could hear little puppy whines.

Why the fuck did Klaus have a puppy under his shirt?

Luca did not sign up for this. (Except he did, when he decided to keep Klaus in his life, he signed up for this.)

Gesturing to Klaus, Luca said, “What do you have under there?”

Klaus bit his bottom lip for a second before saying, “Nothing. A stomach ache. _I’m pregnant!_”

“Well which one is it?” Luca asked, ever patient. 

Before Klaus could answer the puppy that was undoubtedly under his shirt let out a big kick and Klaus lost his grip. The puppy then made an appearance as they fell to the ground. 

“Congratulations on the new baby.”

The puppy looked like a german shepherd. They were wiggling on their back and letting out a cute whine. Luca was proud to say he didn’t coo at them. It was close, but he kept his parental stare. He found that the parental stare sometimes worked on Klaus. Klaus also said Ben had a very similar looking stare.

Luca thought he found a kindred spirit in Ben.

Klaus grabbed the puppy and made a face at them, “It’s a girl!” He held her up to Luca.

Luca smiled fondly. “Great, so what's your plan here? You know you can’t keep a puppy.” He reached out and patted her head. She was soft.

Klaus snorted, “No shit, Mr. V. _I’m homeless_. But you can!”

Luca stared Klaus down. 

Klaus pulled her back and hugged her, giving Luca a pout.

Luca idly wondered if he could get Klaus to move in with him if he agreed to the puppy. He’d only keep her if Klaus stayed too. He’d already tried talking Klaus into moving in with him, or coming up to the apartment when he stayed the night but Klaus always refused. Only once did he get a reason. Klaus had been blitzed out of his mind when he explained that he didn’t want Luca to start to see him as his family did, as nothing more than a disappointment, a failure, just a junkie whore. That if he moved in, he’d see the truth. See Klaus for all that he was.

Klaus didn’t remember telling him any of that in the morning.

But Luca was certain he knew the truth, which was not what Klaus said it was.

Klaus was not any of that. He was a kid who cared deeply and loved passionately and had been hurt by those who should have never hurt him. People he should have been able to trust.

Luca wished he had been Klaus’s parent. That he had adopted the boy. He and Rosa would have gotten along like two peas in a pod. Stella would have supported Klaus, like she had Rosa. Andre would have adored Klaus. 

Hell, the kid was 20 but Luca would adopt him now. Change the name of the store to Vitali and Sons. Because if he was adopting the waif, he’d adopt the ghost too. 

If keeping a puppy around would make Klaus stay, he would. But Luca knew better. 

He’d been trying for years to get Klaus to realize that Luca would never see him as the rest of his family did. And a puppy wouldn’t fix that.

“So who got you knocked up?” Luca asked, eyeing the puppy.

“_Well_, I may or may not have just stolen her from the police precinct. I will neither confirm nor deny.” 

Luca closed his eyes and counted to ten, gathering his thoughts. “You stole her from the _police_?”

“They were going to turn her into a drug hating cutie! _Yes they were!_” he cooed at the puppy. 

Luca had hoped that Ben would have been able to talk Klaus out of _stealing from the police_. Ben had failed Luca this time. But he couldn’t hold it against him, he could only help Klaus stop his stupid decisions so much when he was a ghost. Although for all he knew Ben was the one who suggested it, but based on the conversation he’d been having with Klaus when they walked in, Luca doubted that. “How did you even find her?”

“Um, I was already at the precinct for solicitation and she was on a field trip there!”

Luca took a quick intake of breath. _Solicitation_. He gave his boy another once over, catching the details he’d missed earlier. His hands were shaking slightly, his eyes jumping back and forth a little more than usual, clear signs that he’d been biting his lip again. Luca didn’t like hearing that Klaus would treat himself like that, but he knew it was how he saw himself. All Luca could do was be there for him, especially when the police catch him or when a john was too rough and he needed patched up.

Usually when that happened he would stay away longer, until he was healed more. Until there was nothing for Luca to help. The only times he was able to help properly when it was that bad was when it was bad enough that Klaus was out of it and Ben could direct him _home_.

But Luca knew if he tried to talk about it right now Klaus would just close up and tell a joke or shove the puppy at him and run. He’d have to wait until later, after he fed the boy and after it was dark, after Klaus wound down some. Now was not the time for a heart to heart, Luca had learned that. Over the years he’d taken a lot of classes in dealing with Klaus, made a lot of mistakes, but now Luca was possibly the one person who knew him the best. 

Other than Ben.

Luca put his hands on his hips, “You stole a police dog in training from a bunch of cops?” He could feel a stress headache starting.

“Not very good cops then, where they?” Klaus stuck out his tongue.

The puppy licked it.

Klaus almost dropped her. 

“Klaus, son, _you can’t be stealing from the police_. I never thought this was something I would have to explain, so listen closely,” Luca leaned over the counter and then gently slapped him on the side of the head, “That’s a crime! Stealing is a crime and do you know who solves crimes? _The police._”

“Well they aren’t very good at it,” Klaus defended.

Luca shook his head fondly, “Go get some puppy food from the shelves for her.”

Klaus’s eyes grew, “You’re keeping her?”

Luca sighed, “No, I can’t. But I will keep her until we find her a home. Is that alright with you?”

Klaus gave a sad look to the puppy, “I guess that’s a good compromise. At least the cops won’t turn her into one of those demon dogs.” He went down the aisle to get the food. “Have I ever shown you the scar I have from one of those fucking dogs? I wasn’t even doing anything illegal then! I was thirteen! It was a hostage situation! And then the dog just _bit me_!. Daddy said I deserved it for fucking up during the miss-- during the situation.” He glanced to the side where Ben must have been, “You may have a point. I very well could have smelled like pot at the time.”

Klaus had been in a hostage situation where a police dog attacked him instead of the criminals and his _fucking father_ told _Luca’s son_ that he deserved it? 

Whoever Klaus’s father was should be glad that Klaus had not ever told Luca who he was. His father did not deserve the privilege of being called dad by Klaus, his father did not deserve the loyalty of any of his children, he did not deserve Klaus keeping his name a secret to protect him from Luca. 

Luca wished Klaus would let him do more for him. 

“But until we find her a home you’ll be staying here and taking care of her,” Luca pointed at him, trying to keep his feelings for Klaus’s father in check. He couldn’t let Klaus hear the hatred in his tone. Couldn’t let Klaus think it was directed at him. “You must learn from your mistakes, such as _stealing puppies_. Now, feed her, take her on quick walk and then play fetch with her and for God’s sake, if she pees in the store you will be cleaning it. Am I understood?”

Klaus clutched the puppy and the dog food in his arms as he nodded, “Yes, Mr. Vitali.”

“Good. And be sure to play with her later! Take her to the park and play fetch.” Luca reached into his pocket and grabbed some money, “And buy yourself some ice cream while you’re out. You’re too skinny.”

Klaus put the food on the counter and pocketed the money, “Thanks Mr. Vitali.”

“Now shoo,” Luca waved his hand at him. “Come back later after I have gathered my thoughts more so I can drill it into your skull to _stop stealing from cops_.”

Klaus laughed, “Okay Mr. Vitali. I’ll learn my lesson.”

“You will after I yell at you some more, son.” Luca smiled at him, “Now take her and go have fun.”

Klaus did as he was told and even brought back the change from his ice cream. He’d gotten high while he was out with the puppy, but Luca wasn’t surprised. He was just glad that his son came home safe. He hugged the puppy as Luca told him how he wasn’t allowed to steal from the police anymore, _please_ be smart about it. Told Klaus that he would get final say in who took the puppy home, but someone would be getting her. Someone who wasn’t Luca. Told his son that he was allowed to make mistakes and that Luca would help him when he did. Now shut up and take the puppy outside for a last potty before bed. 

Within a few days there was a family, the daughter was named Rose. 

Klaus thought that the puppy should go to them, to Rose.

After the puppy was with her new family, Luca hoped that Klaus would stay at least one more night with Luca before making himself scarce for a few days. Because Luca knew his son, knew that he would go into hiding for a bit after spending so much time in a safe environment, because Klaus didn’t think he deserved a home like that.

He kept the shop open later than usual, waiting for Klaus to come back.

He left the light on for his son.

But the next time he heard from Klaus it was from the hospital. From another overdose. 

However nothing would keep Luca from Klaus, he would not push him away. He had decided years ago, when Klaus first tried to steal from him, that he would watch out for the boy. 

And Luca would never abandon his family.

Even when they were stupid enough to steal a puppy in training from _the police_.

The idiot.

**Author's Note:**

> obliqueoptimsim @ tumblr


End file.
